Wednesday, July 31, 2013

This Friday, August 2, will be my last day as the Conservation Technician for Connecticut Audubon Society. I will be moving on to become the Conservation and Outreach Coordinator for the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York. My work at RTPI will be very similar to what I have done for over four years at CAS. I will be continuing to work remotely part-time to finish out this year as the Coordinator of the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds, but my writing here and all other CAS responsibilities will end. CAS Senior Director of Science and Conservation Milan Bull and Director of Conservation Services Anthony Zemba will be taking my place blogging here. They are terrific biologists who have spent their lives focused on Connecticut's environment and its wildlife and I definitely encourage you to keep reading!

You may or may not know that the President and Executive Director of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute is past Connecticut Audubon Society Conservation Biologist Twan Leenders. Twan and I started this blog back in March 2010 as a way to show everyone the work we were doing. We wanted Connecticut to know what was going on in conservation circles in our state and the day to day efforts we undertook to try to care for our environment, educate the public, and be advocates for positive change on multiple levels. I hope that this blog has lived up to those goals. I would like to thank all of our readers for visiting, emailing, commenting, and allowing me to learn a lot as well. I want to also give my thanks to everyone at CAS for a fantastic experience during my time there as it was an invaluable education with a genuinely enjoyable workplace featuring many talented colleagues. We at RTPI intend to continue collaborating with CAS going forward.

Please keep in touch and visit us at RTPI if you are ever in the Jamestown area! Since Connecticut has been my home for nearly my entire life I will certainly be back to visit from time to time and I hope to see the state continuing to make progress for a better environmental future.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Take a look at this dragonfly I found perched in the shade in a maple tree last week. It was so hot and the sun was so bright that it was trying to cool itself down for a while! Do you know the species?

That is a Swamp Darner, and while I was not near a swamp, they are a common species that you can find wandering relatively far from any wet forest area. This could even include suburban areas with enough water in the form of small ponds. They are also a migrant species which opens up nearly the entire region to their presence. You know we're in a particularly nasty heat wave when even a dragonfly feels the need to try to beat the heat...

Thursday, July 25, 2013

It has not only been hot in Connecticut - it has been historically hot! Last week either broke or tied a multitude of records in both our nearby region and state. July is always the warmest month with the few weeks after the summer solstice featuring the highest temperatures during our calendar year. However, it is not supposed to be this extraordinarily warm for so long a period and so consistently, nor is it typical to see some of the temperature highs and lows that were recorded. Let's go through some of the KBDR (Bridgeport's National Weather Service station at the airport in Stratford) highlights in list form as it featured some of the most significant events.

•From July 14 through July 20 the temperature hit or exceeded 90°F each day. This seven-day streak breaks the all-time record of six days which was set three times since records began in 1948: 7/7-7/12/93, 7/16-7/21/91, 8/28-9/2/53. That is a big record to fall!
•Another impressive record that was tied was the highest minimum temperature. On July 19 the temperature never dropped below 80°F which tied the all-time mark from July 4, 2002. Again, these records have been kept since 1948!
•July 16 and July 18 also had daily records for highest minimum temperature broken.
•A record high of 95 was set on July 16. Despite the constant heat we did not approach the upper 90s or 100 on the shore which protected most of those daily maximum temperature records.
•From July 16 through July 20 the temperature did not dip below 75°F!
•In fact, the temperature has only gone into the 60s on three days this entire month. We will have to see what kind of records these conditions may amount to.

From tropical cyclones to blizzards to extreme heat to heavy rainfall to anomalous nor'easters to frigid air Connecticut, and in particular coastal areas, is seeing some of the most extreme weather it has ever experienced in the last several years. We'll see if this run keeps up...will we have another tropical storm or hurricane later this season?

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Below you will find the data portion of the Audubon Alliance
for Coastal Waterbirds 17th weekly volunteer update for the 2013 season. It was
a slower than usual week for us because of the extreme heat. We advised all of
our volunteer monitors to stay home for their own safety as well as that of the
birds if they cannot go out in the very early morning or late evening, as close
as possible to sunrise and sunset, respectively. Our staff followed the same
rules and we provided even more than usual room to birds with eggs and young.

Unfortunately it is almost a certainty that the extreme heat
killed Piping Plover hatchlings last week. Sometimes there is nothing we can do
to protect them! However, more monitors in the field to help to educate the public
and provide outreach and stewardship are always needed. If you want to join us
please email ctwaterbirds@gmail.com and we will let you know how to become an
official monitor for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to work with us at
the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds and Connecticut Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

There is still a lot of the summer nesting season yet to come but American Oystercatchers have been relatively successful across much of Connecticut this season. Their breeding numbers in terms of nesting pairs and fledged young have both improved over last season to this point. At the Connecticut Audubon Society Coastal Center at Milford Point we had three pairs this year that fledged three chicks already. Here is one of them with their young one.

This chick can now fly and is becoming more independent every day.

Numbers are far from complete across the state as chicks are still hatching and others have yet to fledge. We will not know the final tally until a few months from now, but so far things are well. I am pleased with their progress which has been aided greatly by our volunteer monitors (thanks to them!) and the staff of the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds.

Monday, July 15, 2013

I have now been working for Connecticut Audubon Society for over four years and conducting waterfowl surveys at Stratford Point since my first day. During that time we would frequently notice how many birds used rain pools that formed in the driveway or occasionally open patches of dirt in upland areas for bathing and drinking. I also observed how many dragonflies would use them for ovipositing (laying their eggs). Last fall it was decided to make it easier for a small rain pool to form near the gate and one was created for these purposes. During rainy June it has filled up quite a bit as you can see below.

I have observed so many bird species using this valuable fresh water supply from Common Grackles and Cedar Waxwings to Willow Flycatchers and Tree Swallows. Many of them enjoy a bath or a drink, and some even take some of the wet sand and soil to use for nesting material. Dragonflies and even damselflies are frequently seen here numbering in the dozens including Spot-winged Gliders, Common Green Darners, Familiar Bluets, Wandering Gliders, Black Saddlebags, Eastern Forktails, and more. Thankfully they help to take care of any mosquito problems easily as well as I have stood around it trying to observe or net dragonflies for record purposes without any biting me even on some of the calm days.

Now that we are into this extremely hot July it is drying rapidly...here's hoping for a cool down and some coastal rain soon.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Our thanks to Frank Mantlik for finding a rare White-winged Dove at Stratford Point midday yesterday, July 12. It moved around the property and surrounding neighborhood quite a bit but Frank was able to snap off this record photo.

The last time I "saw" a White-winged Dove I did not see it at all. On July 19, 2011 Coastal Center at Milford Point Director Frank Gallo found one in the driveway of the center. I heard it a couple of times as it was buried deep in tree cover, and after that morning it was not recorded again. Please note the date of that last sighting as these two July records are probably not a coincidence in that it is a good time of year to bring up the southwestern species.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

The beginning of July has been absolutely brutal with heat, humidity, haze, and poor air quality. Most of the blame lies in the Bermuda high over the Atlantic as it moved back to the west and put us in the prime zone for these conditions. I am actually somewhat surprised we have not had more rare birds or even annual oddities showing up. This may have to do with the fact people have to be out there to find them and few would want to be in such conditions for prolonged periods.

Yes, it may not be 95 or 100, but the temperature has been so consistently high with ridiculous deviations for overnight lows that the average temperature for the month compared to the long-term climate is much higher than usual.

Wow! As always, it is one period during one month, but this will be another hot July we put into the ever-changing climate record books unless we get a huge cold snap (good luck with that). I can't wait to see how long Bridgeport can stay out of the 60s (ugh!) as it has been 70 or above 24 hours a day since June 27.

I would suggest keeping an eye open for southern or Atlantic vagrants, especially as we get this cold front passing through. At that point perhaps a strange bird or two will become more obvious or a western rarity will pop up. Shorebirds are on the move back to the south already and some species of land birds will be coming back our way soon, too. As birds begin to migrate across the continent chances will increase for an oddity showing up here in Connecticut. Meanwhile let's see if we can get conditions back to normal and stop drying up all that surplus water that fell in June.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

This immature male White-faced Meadowhawk was on a railing in Stratford on another hot morning as the temperature once again made a run past 90 degrees. What is it doing and why?!

Dragonflies are thermoregulators as their temperature is regulated by the air around them. On a cool or cloudy morning you will often see them flat on a sunny rock or perched horizontally on a blade of glass in order to gather up as much of the sun's warming rays as possible. This dragonfly is obelisking, pointing its abdomen right towards the sun, in order to better control or even minimize the heat of the sun warming it up as it could become too much on such a hot day. He definitely should move to the shade soon because wow, Connecticut is back to the usual much above average temperatures.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

I think everyone knows that June was filled with far more rain than usual. We had a weekend of the remains of tropical storm Andrea that went over the entire month's usual total in most places. We had a lot of convection firing up during hot and humid weather, especially as a front over us to end the month bringing tropical moisture up the Atlantic coastline. We also had anomalously powerful lows swinging through the area from the west and a lot of shortwaves doing just enough to trigger some rainfall.

In the Bridgeport area Andrea's 4.49 inches of rain far surpassed the usual 3.61 for the month of June. Overall the station had 9.48 inches which is 5.87 inches above average. Even with the rain and some cloudy days the temperature was +1.3°F as positive departures continued. In Hartford the rainfall totals were a little more spaced out among the days of the month. Andrea "only" provided 3.01 inches during her visit. However, more thunderstorms there on some days led to an even higher total at 10.79 inches for June. This is 6.44 inches above normal! There the temperature was also above-average despite the conditions at +1.0°F for the month.

July is off to a hot but dry start and perhaps the story will be staggeringly high temperatures instead of copious amounts of rain.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

This year, we have more than 700 Least Terns attempting to nest on the main sandbar at Milford Point. We also have a record number of American Oystercatcher chicks, 3, and 8 pairs of Piping Plovers. The plovers are currently trying to fledge now over 17 chicks.

As usual, to minimize disturbance to these nesting birds during the July 4th holiday, the building, parking lot and grounds of the Connecticut Audubon Society's Coastal Center at Milford Point will be closed to vehicular and foot traffic from Wednesday, July 3, at 4:30 PM until dawn on Friday, July 5th. The gate will be locked during this time.

To help us maintain good relations with our neighbors, we ask that people do not park on the street and try and walk in.

The grounds and lot are closed every July 4th. A Milford Police officer will be on duty patrolling the beaches each evening to protect the nesting birds.

Monday, July 1, 2013

Please see below for an update on how the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds is progressing as we enter July. Everything is going very well for American Oystercatchers and decently for Piping Plovers, too. The verdict on Least Terns and Common Terns will have to wait but the former has a colony of over 700 birds at Milford Point this year.

======================

This is the fourteenth weekly update by the Audubon Alliance for Coastal Waterbirds (AAfCW) for the 2013 season. Today's update includes reports of Piping Plover, American Oystercatcher, Least Tern and Common Tern from June 24 through 4:00 p.m. on July 1 with sightings of birds by volunteers and staff spanning that period.

Informational updates:

If you would like to help CT DEEP and AAfCW monitor on the night of fireworks displays at Milford Point on the evening of July 3 and Sandy Morse Points on either July 3 or 4 please email us. We can give you the details of when staff will be in place at each site. Our birds continue to grow and still more are hatching. Any time you can be out monitoring on July 4 at your beach or beaches would be helpful if it is "beach weather" and there are large crowds heading to the shore. We have a few very critical weeks left and heading out to monitor during these busy times in particular is very important. Thank you for your efforts thus far and we hope they will have contributed to what could be a very successful season!

Least Tern
3 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 6/24
5 pairs, 15 adults, 5 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/24
7 adults at Stratford Point on 6/24
18 adults at Griswold Point on 6/24
9 pairs, 17 adults, 9 nests at Bluff Point on 6/24
33 pairs, 5 adults, 33 nests at Griswold Point on 6/24
25 adults, 15 nests at Harkness Memorial State Park on 6/24
6 pairs, 3 adults, 6 nests at Bluff Point on 6/24
3 pairs, 6 adults at Long Beach on 6/24
2 pairs, 11 adults, 2 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/24
9 pairs, 38 adults, 9 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/25
28 adults at Long Beach on 6/25
2 adults at Russian Beach on 6/25
17 pairs, 60 adults, 17 nests at Griswold Point on 6/25
150 pairs, 100 adults, 150 nests at Milford Point on 6/25
5 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 6/25
1 pair, 1 adult at Long Beach on 6/25
3 adults at Pleasure Beach on 6/25
1 pair, 14 adults, 1 hatchling, 3 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/25
1 adult at Silver Sands State Park on 6/26
2 adults at Long Beach on 6/26
3 adults at Long Beach on 6/26
175 pairs, 50 adults, 175 nests at Milford Point on 6/26
5 adults at Long Beach on 6/26
3 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 6/26
8 adults at Long Beach on 6/27
6 pairs, 8 adults, 4 nests at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/27
21 pairs, 50 adults, 21 nests at Griswold Point on 6/28
15 adults at Menunketesuck Island on 6/28
6 adults at Long Beach on 6/28
9 adults at Long Beach on 6/29
6 adults at Stratford Point on 6/29
83 adults at Griswold Point on 6/29
100 adults at Milford Point on 6/29
9 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/29
6 adults at Long Beach on 6/30
3 adults at Penfield Reef on 6/30
10 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/30
12 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/30

Common Tern
2 adults at Silver Sands State Park on 6/24
3 adults at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/24
2 adults at Stratford Point on 6/24
1 adult at Great Captain's Island on 6/24
5 pairs, 10 adults at Milford Point on 6/24
1 pair, 1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/25
1 adult at Sherwood Island State Park on 6/25
3 pairs at Milford Point on 6/25
4 adults at Long Beach on 6/26
3 pairs, 1 nest at Milford Point on 6/26
4 pairs, 1 nest at Milford Point on 6/27
3 adults at Sherwood Island State Park on 6/27
40 pairs, 50 hatchlings at Cockenoe Island on 6/27
5 adults at Griswold Point on 6/28
4 pairs, 3 adults, 1 nest at Milford Point on 6/28
12 adults at Menunketesuck Island on 6/28
5 adults at Griswold Point on 6/29
3 adults at Long Beach on 6/30
1 adult at Sandy/Morse Points on 6/30

Who are we?

Connecticut Audubon Society conserves Connecticut’s environment through science-based education and advocacy focused on the state’s bird populations and habitats. Founded in 1898, Connecticut Audubon Society operates nature facilities in Fairfield, Milford, Glastonbury and Pomfret as well as an EcoTravel office in Essex and an Environmental Advocacy program in Hartford. Connecticut Audubon Society manages 19 wildlife sanctuaries around the state, preserves over 2,600 acres of open space in Connecticut and educates over 200,000 children and adults annually. Working exclusively in the state of Connecticut for over 100 years, Connecticut Audubon Society is an independent organization, not affiliated with any national or governmental group.